Rare Palayok Pottery in the Philippines (Gold in the Mountains of Kalinga)

when is the last time you plunged your hands into soil dug through the Earth and felt her pulse few things are more noble than creating and discovering something with your own hands in the cieran mountain range in the Philippines Treasures are found in Kinga this is a way of life for centuries people have tended the land to grow their food to construct their villages on Impossible terrain to cook their meals and to create their riches let's take a look at two trades that have been sustaining a community in pasil Kinga this is the story of The Potters and the gold miners [Music] [Music] in pasil Kalinga in the Philippines people thrive in stories and traditions according to an urban legend kabunan god of the sky World arrived hungry in dang Talan finding no pots to cook with he dug into the soil made a pot and cooked his meals for 3 Days amazed the village women began imitating kabunan Pottery skills pil Pottery is one of the oldest Earth and wear Traditions a rare craft preserved through the passing on of knowledge among women dating back to the third millennium it was once used as a currency to barter for Rice this sacred tradition run and maintained exclusively by women has transcended historical and cultural boundaries and influenced social relationships back in the day everyone used to cook mostly in palayok or clay pots until we started gravitating towards modern cookware due to the changing climate conditions Agriculture and industrialization it is said that the quality of local clay has altered over the years in many areas around the country due to that some palayok are more ornamental today and fall short of being sturdy enough for high heat cooking this is what makes the living masters of pil Pottery important they could be the last few makers of such palayok in the [Music] country while in dang Talan we took the chance to document the story of these remarkable women it was a treat to be allowed to tag along and witness the process from start to finish we followed the women as they walk towards the shores and valleys of the mountain side where the clay deposits are perfect for all kinds of pottery clay soil can regenerate with enough organic matter and time nonetheless the women consciously move through different plots of land taking only what they need in harmony with the environment fore all you got come on boy get out of there [Music] G coffee then rice tries s speech spe spe [Music] [Music] Upon returning to the Village The Potters prepare the collected clay soil they pound and hydrated to Perfection before molding it into a bang or earn wear with their bare hands Rena gai a fmer leader and co-founder of slow food pil tells us more about the process and the women behind ital women after work field sum February for family big pots na Pang rice wine y sugar canala kamga ano anig yig sa malamig Hindi Bast Basta Moc alum [Music] the mug banga or Potters usually work in groups rather than individually in each Village there is at least one specialist who informally imparts the skills to the younger women stylistic features vary across villages with master passing down their knowledge shaping distinct traditions and molding social bonds within their communities spe [Music] before firing the pots The Potters utilize local raw materials and Indigenous tools to engrave designs that reflect their individual [Music] creativity SA the [Music] B [Music] belog pamalo Ko sa Wet N B [Music] Pang palit payos NG ano NGO AA pangas sa kapag May makapal Pala ay [Music] [Music] spee for for light doesn't drone n y drone ch [Music] Bal po Yung ano alasa saap so Ang tawag namin dito sa local dialect namin I Liu so ging G Al alas [Music] Al PAB o po Pang PAB din po na kaban kajan nagan L kaan Yung lanang auras n 1 hour din po para poang clay Lang o the pil Potters Association was founded in 2005 to preserve the craft passed from mothers to daughters in Kalinga Society from four members the group has now grown to include 48 members we were also able to talk to their president Alina deas finu mayel employees ging lgu see Madame lonely Yung Chef NG tagal NG inila Ino SI Madame R Naman or coin fig Farmers iawa NG b bah ni ano Yan ni chinai ni Elizabeth SI isang gumagawa Ng alansa Elizabeth niyan Ayan Yung finished product ni Dam oh my man my CET po y a5050 Daw Isa Kay prisilla din B Ayo Yung Mata na gumagawa Ng B ate Prill Gaga ETO SI Anita Alwood Anita Alwood SI prisila [Music] silong naawa NG B om anat dawat dawo Kasi ginawa Nila ETO yata Yung 800 ETO Yung five ay Yung ginawa KO 300 kagaya nto 300 [Music] [Music] it's amazing how the beautiful hands of the women of pil can transform form malleable mud into Timeless vessels that not only serve practical purposes but also preserve stories and cultural heritage this art form is a living link between past and present essential for safeguarding kalinga's Rich Legacy and sustaining the cultural fabric of the community let's continue to seek out cultural Treasures like basil Pottery along with the stories they carry wherever and whenever we can walking around various communities in Kinga it's very rare to see someone standing idle a few kilometers by foot here is a daily habit people work multiple jobs teacher in the morning rice Harvest during the afternoon even the kids lend a helping hand when it's harvest season and the men can be seen toiling the land Building roads and structures or even digging through the mountain for precious [Music] metals gas [Music] gold a universal symbol of wealth and Beauty has captivated Humanity for centuries in the heart of pil Kinga in the cordas this precious metal takes on a deeper meaning where gold is more than a treasure it's a Lifeline sustaining this community's livelihood traditions and values historically the indigenous peoples of the cordas developed their own sustainable practices of smallscale Mining and gold processing with minimum impact on the environment pil has been constantly explored and occasionally mined since 1932 when gold was first discovered it was also the site of the now defunct batong buhai mining project which was once considered among the largest mines of gold and silver in the Philippines in batok one of the 14 Villages within pasil locals practice gold mining in harmony with nature [Music] this my glasses during our visit to pil we met Ray Mar a former minor who now buys gold from The Young miners 19 uh 87 [Music] beans 1 gr 4 pesos [Music] [Music] to get a glimpse of the tedious and risky process of mining gold we tagged along Redford and Eric with his fellow miners like many rare medals it isn't without risk this is one of the most dangerous ways to mine for it to reach the mine we had to take a steep Trek of several kilometers up a side of a mountain a challenge for our team but easily navigated multiple times a day by Redford Eric and his fellow miners [Music] the passages are remote and difficult and our intuition tells us that the elders and leaders intended it to be that way to maintain control and protect the resources [Music] foreal sin May l l na Yun fore spe [Music] bababa P [Music] Lang for [Music] speech fore foreign foreign spee speech [Music] [Music] [Music] oh yeah give me the Mas [Music] [Music] get [Music] [Music] Happ [Music] foree [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign speech Speas me [Music] [Music] [Music] upe [Music] [Music] you [Applause] spee for [Music] for the miners use a process that involves a minimal amount of concentration achieved by washing the ore with a hose on an inclined plane with a wash water flowing over a carpet line secondary SLO to capture finer gold dep my 182 my 17 172 1739 32 years 49 B [Music] B [Music] foree [Music] for 3000 for [Music] [Music] for l [Laughter] for after the long process the miners smelt the particles into gold ingots aarian carrots and sell them to rain White 15999 182 173 7 G to 2 G Four B pan Yan four G 4 3,300 per 3,200 carrot refers to the purity of the gold the higher the carrot the purer the gold the numbers range from 8 to 24 for standard Universal references with 24 being the purest most premium quality in pil the miners measure gold purity in what they call S SP which basically means the specific gravity of gold this method determines a Metal's density relative to a reference substance which in pel's case is gold to give you a clearer picture gold has a density of 19.3 G per cubic meter which means if you get a figure lower than this for your gold it is less pure and precious the miners use a Precision scale a container with water and a string or wire to hold the gold then they do the math with a [Music] calculator the glimmer of gold in pel's culture tells a story of resilience community and a profound connection to the Earth but High rewards are almost always paired with high risks just as gold is a safe heaven asset that retains its value over time pel's Heritage and the spirit of its people shine Priceless and golden while the world has seemingly moved along and is seemingly distancing itself from a more natural way of living there are communities that fight for their way of life rural towns around the world are struggling they all used to be self-sufficient but are now losing their footing basil is still very much a self-sustaining econ economy and these trades along sides agriculture are pillars in ensuring their future things are changing though and these communities face difficult environmental and social conditions in these mountains the work is hard and uncertain but most wouldn't trade these Cliffs for skyscrapers [Music] [Music]

Channel: FEATR

Views: 29,357

Keywords: erwan, heussaff, thefatkidinside, featr, kalinga, pottery, gold mining, palayok

Id: KEELR94Y0jY

Length: 43min 12sec (2592 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 16 2024